Money matters:The Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund

Today we talk money. Money is a dangerous commodity. Money will turn your most trusted friends into crazy strangers. But money does good too. Like it is supposed to do for sports in Kenya. Today we will look into sports money, where it comes from, who controls it, who has access to it, and how it is meant to be used in sports development.

The Fund was originally established as The Sports Fund but, through an amendment in July 2019, it is now referred to as the Sports Arts and Social Development Fund which has merged other disciplines with sports. The fund is established under Regulation 3 of the Public Finance Management (Sports, Arts, and Social Development Fund) Regulations, 2018. Thirty five per cent(35%) of this fund has been allocated to sports development.

It is managed by an Oversight Board, comprising of eight(8) members. All members are required to have at least a university degree as well as ten years of experience in the fields of finance, sports, law or economics. The Chairman of the Board is appointed by the President and the current chairman is Gen(Rtd) Jackson Tuwei, who is also the president of Athletics Kenya.

One of the main purposes of the fund is to finance development of sports and recreational facilities including stadia, gymnasiums, buildings and tracks and other related purposes.The CS Finance is required to prepare financial reports on the fund management every three months.

Most importantly, did you know that any sports organization, professional sports person or implementing agency can apply for funding from this Fund. However, they must be duly registered under the Sports Act to be able to access funding. This is an opportunity that is yet to be exploited by many sports organisations in our country where there is no shortage of self-sponsored teams and teams struggling to meet financial obligations or honor matches.

Note that any person or organization wishing to apply for funding must do so six(6) months before the commencement of the financial year.

Presently out of the Fund, a total amount of Kshs 945 Million was reportedly disbursed in November 2019 and February 2020 for the renovation of Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums. Is the roof still leaking at Nyayo gymnasium?

At the same time Rugby, Athletics, Golf have been documented to have received sizeable amounts from the Fund.In addition this is the source from which our national teams are meant to get their funding.

At the end of the day, is the fund accessible? Is it capable of transforming sports in Kenya into a key player in the economy?